BRISBANE, Nov 5 — An Italian chef in Australia has lost a bid to challenge his dismissal after he was fired for refusing to put pineapple on pizzas, arguing the topping was an insult to his culture.

According to the BBC, Davide Tamburella was dismissed from Brisbane restaurant La Costa in May after a series of workplace issues, including his refusal to prepare ham and pineapple pizzas for guests at a private function.

According to a ruling by Australia’s Fair Work Commission, Tamburella maintained that instructions from management did not need to be followed if they were offensive to his culture.

The commission noted that Tamburella regarded pineapple on pizza as “an insult to his culture” as an Italian and that the incident was not the first of its kind. The ruling said it was the third occasion in four years that he had refused to use pineapple on pizzas, and that he had previously urged his employer to understand how strongly many Italians feel about the controversial topping.